Gaskin wears down Buffs in dominant win for No. 7 Washington

Myles Gaskin wore down the Buffaloes (3-1) in No. 7 Washington’s (4-0) 27-point win on Saturday night in Boulder, Colo. Gaskin would rewrite his career records for most rushing yards in a single game during the win.

While Gaskin didn’t score the game sealing touchdown, he was a key contributor on the drive. The junior from Lynnwood, Wash. carried the ball on five of the drives seven plays to get the Huskies to Colorado’s six-yard line. It was the true freshmen Salvon Ahmed that would carry the rock across the goal line to give Washington a 31-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Gaskin would add a 57-yard touchdown run that saw him peel away from the defense after he got into space. The Huskies would miss the extra point, but it wouldn’t matter as the touchdown gave them the final margin.

The game started to get out of hand after Colorado quarterback Steven Montez was picked by Myles Bryant on a slant route that was perfectly read by the defensive back. Bryant would return the ball 35-yards to the barn to make the score 24-10 Washington with a little over two minutes left in the third quarter. It was Montez’s third pick of the game, and was the result of him not working through the reads while trying to fit the pass into an extremely tight window.

This game was closer during the first half before the turnovers and miscues started for the Buffaloes in the second half; as Colorado’s defense had done a good job of limiting Jake Browning’s passing attack through the first half. But the Buffs’ passing defense broke down after Browning took advantage of Quinten Brown’s size advantage on a 43-yard touchdown pass to give Washington a 17-7 lead early in the third quarter. Brown’s touchdown catch was Washington’s only passing touchdown of the night.

Colorado responded to Brown’s touchdown by driving down the field in 10 plays for a James Stefanou 49-yard field goal to bring the score to 10-17. It was the closest the game would be during the second half.

Gaskin’s game was the best game of his career in purple as he racked up 202 yards on 27 carries (7.5 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. The Buffs clearly wore down as the game went on and Washington’s offensive line was able to establish dominance at the line of scrimmage. On the few plays that the Buffs had clogged up the offensive line, Gaskin showed off his patience and quickness to find an opening that he would explode through to ensure a gain on the play.

The game started off in Colorado’s favor as they took the first possession after the kickoff 75-yards down the field in 11 plays to take a 7-0 lead. Phillip Lindsay would cap off of the initial drive with a one-yard touchdown run, it was his (and Colorado’s) only touchdown of the game.